NMDOH Health Alerts /Recommendations / Health Information

• 2012-2013 Influenza Immunizations:

  Deming Public Schools “Vaccines for Children” program will be offering the 2012-2013 Intra-nasal Influenza immunization to all students free of charge.  School influenza immunization consent forms for parents will be sent out during the month of September.  Please return signed consent forms to the School Nurse if you would like your child to be immunized. Intranasal Influenza Immunization clinics will start in October.
  • NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

    Brad McGrath, Interim Cabinet Secretary

    For immediate release:                                 Media contact: Kenny Vigil

    December 6,2012                                         Cell: 505-470-2290

    Flu Season Started Early and May Be More Severe Than Recent Past Seasons

    Department of Health Encourages People to Get Vaccinated Now

    (Santa Fe) – The New Mexico Department of Health has confirmed that influenza is circulating throughout the state and recommends that everyone six months of age and older get vaccinated against the flu now to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.

    Flu season started earlier this year than has been seen in the U.S. in nearly ten years, including in New Mexico. The number of people being seen by healthcare providers in New Mexico for influenza-like illness has increased over the past two weeks.

    Testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is showing that this season’s influenza vaccine is a good match to the influenza viruses that people throughout the U.S. have had so far. The main type of influenza that has been seen (H3N2) is a type that typically is more severe than other types. Higher numbers of hospitalizations and deaths have been seen during past H3N2 seasons.

    “Even though flu season has arrived, it is not too late to get vaccinated,” said Department of Health State Epidemiologist Michael Landen,M.D., MPH. It is especially important for adults over 65 years of age, children 6 months through 4 years of age, pregnant women, and everyone with certain underlying health conditions to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

    Healthcare providers, pharmacists, and public health offices have vaccine available. The New Mexico Department of Health has distributed vaccines to approximately 500 Vaccines for Children providers: the New Mexico Vaccines for Children Program assures that all children through 18 years of age receive recommended vaccines, including yearly flu vaccines. New Mexico Department of Health public health offices have flu vaccines available for persons at high risk for serious flu illness and people with no health insurance. 

    Everyone six months of age and older should get a flu vaccine each flu season, especially  people in the following groups because they are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people at high risk for developing flu-related complications:

    • Children 6 months through 4 years of age
    • Pregnant women (any trimester)
    • People age 50 and older
    • People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, lung or heart disease, and those who are immunocompromised
    • People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
    • People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu
    • American Indians and Alaskan Natives
    • People who are morbidly obese
    • Healthcare personnel

    Also remember that to avoid catching the flu or passing it on to others, everyone should wash their hands frequently, cover their mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, and stay home when ill.

    The Department of Health does not track every case of flu in New Mexico. The Department receives weekly reports from 26 healthcare provider sites and 32 clinical laboratories to monitor the amount of influenza-like illness being seen by providers and positive flu reports from laboratories, and also monitors flu-related hospitalizations in seven counties and flu-related deaths statewide.

    Public health offices are listed in the phone book’s blue pages under state government. Contact information for public health offices is also listed at www.nmhealth.org.

    As the flu season progresses, you can find information about the flu and flu clinics by calling toll-free at 866-681-5872 or by visiting www.immunizenm.org/flu.shtml

• Immunization Exemptions:

  The New Mexico Department of Health / New Mexico Immunization Exemption Law (24-5-3)  states only those students who have a notarized  medical  or religious exemption form will  be allowed to attend school without up to date immunizations. Personal / philosophical exemptions no longer qualify as an approved exemption.  You can access the new form and information at the Department of Health Website and Link listed below.

• Pertussis / Whooping Cough: 

  is a respiratory disease spread by person to person contact. The NMDOH is urging parents, students and school staff to stop the spread of pertussis by making sure they are current on their pertussis vaccination since it is on the rise in New Mexico and across the country. The NMDOH requires all students entering 7^th grade to have an updated TDAP immunization.  Please check with your student’s school nurse for additional information.

  • NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

    Brad McGrath, Interim Cabinet Secretary

    For immediate release:                                Media contact: Kenny Vigil

    November 29, 2012                                      Cell: 505-470-2290

     Department of Health Launches Pertussis Public Awareness Campaign

    Infections have more than Doubled from 2011

    (Santa Fe) – The New Mexico Department of Health has launched a public awareness campaign to remind New Mexicans to get vaccinated against pertussis, also known as whooping cough. This year 703 cases of the bacterial infection have been reported in New Mexico, up from 277 patients in2011. Two children, including a 2-month-old girl from San Miguel County and a 4year-old boy from Bernalillo County, have died this year as a result of pertussis.

    “Many adults do not even know that they have pertussis, and then they pass it on to children,” said State Epidemiologist Michael Landen, M.D., MPH.  “Getting vaccinated against pertussis is the best protection,especially if you are going to be around a baby.”

    The public awareness campaign includes 24 billboards statewide, and a public service announcement in Spanish airing on television.The campaign is just one of many outreach efforts the Department has participated in to remind New Mexicans to get vaccinated.

    The 5 counties with the highest rates of pertussis are San Miguel, Valencia, Bernalillo, Santa Fe and McKinley, but pertussis cases have been reported from every area of the state   Infants (less than one year of age) have the highest rates of any age group.  The rate for Hispanics has been twice the rate of non-Hispanics.

    Rates are used to describe disease activity of cases over a given period of time. Rates take into account the different population sizes of demographic groups or geographic areas so that meaningful comparisons can be made between groups and areas.

    New Mexicans can contact their health care provider or pharmacy to get vaccinated. Public health offices offer the vaccine to those without insurance. There are two types of pertussis vaccine: DTaP and Tdap. DTaP is the vaccine for infants and children, and Tdap is the pertussis vaccine for older children, adolescents and adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends cocooning, which is vaccinating everyone who comes into close contact with an infant – including daycare workers, family members and any others caring for infants. Children under the age of one are most at risk for severe illness and death due to pertussis.

    The New Mexico Department of Health recommends the following to help reduce the spread of pertussis:

    • All infants and children should receive the primary series of pertussis vaccine, called DTaP,at 2, 4, 6 and 12-18 months of age

    • All children should receive a booster dose, called DTaP, prior to school entry at 4 to 6years of age

    • Children between7 and 10 years of age who are behind on pertussis vaccine should get a Tdap

    • Children should receive a booster dose of Tdap at entry to middle school if they haven’t received one previously

    • All teens or adults should receive a Tdap booster if one was not given at entry to middle school

    • All pregnant women should receive a Tdap booster after the 20^th week of pregnancy if they have not received one in the past

    • Anyone caring for or spending time with an infant should receive a Tdap booster if they have not received one in the past, including people 65 and older

    • All healthcare personnel should receive a Tdap booster, as soon as feasible, if they have not received or are unsure if they have previously received a dose of Tdap

    Anyone with a cough illness should make sure to cover their cough, wash hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and have the cough evaluated by a healthcare provider. Early detection and treatment of pertussis is an important step to help prevent ongoing spread of the disease. You can find more information at pertussis at http://nmhealth.org/Pertussis/

    
    

• West Nile Virus: 

  WNV is a virus that can cause disease in people, birds, horses and sometimes other animals. WNV is spread by mosquito bites.  Refer to the link in the next tab for more information from the New Mexico Department of Health.

HealthInformation Links

http://immunizenm.org/sche.shtml

http://immunizenm.org/sched.shtml#exemptions

http://www.health.state.nm.us/CommunicationsOffice/2012%20News%20Releases/NewsRelease-20120810-SchoolPertussis-EN.pdf

http://nmhealth.org/ERD/HealthData/westnile.shtml